Public Relations Sub-Committee

Pravin Balasingam is a junior at Los Gatos High School. He attended the 2023 SNP-REACH Program in the summer and is currently continuing his neurodiversity advocacy as the head of NNEA's Public Relations Subcommittee. He finds interest in neuroscience and computer science, hoping to pursue neuroscience research. He ultimately hopes to advocate for the rights of special needs individuals who cannot voice themselves. In his free time, Pravin enjoys playing soccer and piano and spending time outdoors.

Sara Fujii is a senior at Stamford American International School in Singapore and serves on the PR subcommittee of NNEA. During her time at International School Manila in the Philippines, she began her involvement with Special Olympics across three regions, where she advocated for inclusive sports and neurodiversity awareness. Sara is passionate about developing K-12 educational materials on neurodiversity and hopes to create inclusive curricula beyond college. In her free time, she enjoys playing the trumpet, singing, and exploring Singapore on long walks while listening to her favourite music.

Navya Bansal is a junior at JNIS in Mumbai, India. She serves as a member of NNEA’s public relations subcommittee. Her passion for neurodiversity advocacy grew from her work on creating an adapted toy library for children with autism. She also founded 'The Teen Hypothesis,' a STEM writing platform that empowers teens to share their research and ideas, reaching a global audience.She is committed to raising awareness and fostering greater inclusivity for neurodiverse individuals. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cafe hopping, and swimming.

Ashley is a junior at Orcutt Academy High School in Orcutt, California! By being a member of NNEA's Public Relations subcommittee, she hopes to provide a platform where the voices of the neurodiversity community can be amplified. She is especially interested in supporting parents of neurodiverse children as a co-founder of Families Inspiring Neurodiverse Development (F.I.N.D.). She also serves as the co-editor of her school's newspaper and writes blogs for an environmental conservation organization. In her free time, Ashley enjoys dancing, writing, reading, and eating scrumptious food!

Ben Haworth is a senior at Sage Hill School in Newport Coast, California. He is a member of the NNEA’s Public Relations subcommittee. Ben has autism and is passionate about building up neurodivergent youth by connecting them with valuable resources and opportunities to reach their full potential socially, academically, and personally. He loves writing articles for the NNEA newsletter and hopes to increase inclusivity in education for neurodiverse individuals as a part of NNEA. Ben has been a California State Ambassador for Best Buddies International for over three years, loves listening to music, and reading about history.

Harry is a senior at Leland High School in San Jose, California. He serves in NNEA’s Public Relations subcommittee, dedicated to putting together stories of neurodiversity advocacy. As a founder of an art club that meets with neurodiverse families at a special needs center to teach art, he is dedicated to unlocking the talents of neurodiverse students and promoting awareness about their ability to transform society for the better. In addition, serving as a Creative Director in his school newspaper and a 1 on 1 tutor of a neurodiverse college student at FCSN, he hopes to help tell stories of neurodiverse experiences and advocacy and to better understand how to serve the neurodiverse community.

Lisa Pan, a junior in high school, developed her passion for autism through having a strong bond with her older brother, who is on the autism spectrum. While Lisa takes care of her brother, she also makes an effort to extend a helping hand and takes care of his friends and other students she tutors through her service club, Tutors4Stars, which provides tutoring tailored to individual students’ needs. Most recently, Tutors4Stars held a successful summer camp focused on arts & crafts, dancing, and singing. Parents claimed that it was better than some of the camps that they had even paid for and that they would love to have more in the future. As a sister, she realized her brother had a passion for music when she began singing when she was eight years old. She is now a SAG-AFTRA actress, model, and singer who aims to use her voice and job to raise awareness for autism. What motivates her partly for her job, other than her passion for performing, is the fact that her brother has such a strong connection to it, and with her. She is also a journalist who writes for her school newspaper, The Tower, in which she advocates for autism awareness and serves as the Graphics Editor. Alongside her leadership roles in The Tower and Tutors4Stars, she is also a member of the DEIJ Advisory Board, working closely with her school’s DEIJ director and influencing DEIJ lessons taught throughout the year. She hopes to use her many voices to help raise awareness for autism and help make the world a better place for neuro diverse individuals!